Downfall
by quickassilver
Summary: For those of you following Ai Konungrs Wyrda this is similar i just didn't like the messiness of the story. some stuff will be very similar other stuff will be different. Hope you all like my book IV Inheritance fanfic. All Paolini's characters.some new
1. Prologue: Chasing Shadows

Prologue: Chasing Shadows

Eragon woke with a start in the middle of the night. Sweat clung to his body and was dripping onto his bed. He woke panting and with his mind alert. Dreams about Oromis' death had been plaguing him since he was killed by Galbatorix through Murtagh. But that was not what worried him most, what troubled him was that when his tutor was falling dead to the ground he had appeared to be muttering a phrase under his breath. Now he was worrying if he had missed his dying words and if they might have been a key to overthrowing him. Possibly how to find the dark king's true name without his spells killing him when he tried to use it.

He had been trying to read his lips to figure out what he was trying to say but to no avail. Surely Glaedr would know but he was hiding deep within his eldunarí. Worrying had become a bad habit of Eragon's since he had been given the task to kill Galbatorix had been passed to him. He didn't dislike having this responsibility and he knew others would love to be in his position, but it was just overwhelming at times. If he had missed something as important as a secret to kill the king he knew he wouldn't be able to just forget about it; let alone all the people who were depending on him to save them from Galbatorix.

It was three days since his master had been killed, and he was still in mourning for them. Nasuada had decided to let him gain control over his emotions instead of putting him to work stopping riots within the city. His help would have been appreciated but she knew he needed rest before going to Drás Leona. She had accomplished much since she had taken control of the Varden and Eragon knew it had not been easy for her. Thankfully Nasuada decided to give him a break from the crowds and his rider duties so he could regain his composure from his masters' deaths. Eragon had used the break to recuperate from the battle as well as to regain his composure that had been shattered by the grief he felt over losing his masters.

Deciding to go back to sleep, he said, "Slytha", and placed himself in an enchanted sleep. Tomorrow Eragon was going to be busy again, as well as Arya and the other elves. They were going to help clean up the city and comfort the people there. The Varden had already started rebuilding the city and clearing out the number of dead within the city. They had undertaken a huge task, but with the sheer number of the Varden army it was going quickly.

The governor of Feinster Lady Lorana was being treated with respect as Nasuada had ordered the Varden to do. She was having a hard time coping with the fact of the empire's ignorance of the Varden's attempts to help them. But then again, warriors on her orders had attacked and slaughtered masses of their friends and families. It was not their fault but the king's. Yet what could people within the empire's borders do? If they revolted the king could just slaughter them all with magic and there were those that were loyal or subservient to him.

Fear was proving to become one of the Varden's biggest enemies. Lack of courage is what was causing people to help the empire and give their lives to the king. Fear of death, or a difficult life was driving people to murder other humans when they normally would not have. Also fear of the supernatural, of magic and elves that lived forever if not killed and were so much more powerful than humans. An invader of their homeland is what the people of the empire saw the Varden, dwarves, urgals, and elves as. It was the elves were feared the most because of their immortality, beauty, and their magical abilities.

Fear was also undermining the courage of her soldiers, especially those who had just started fighting for them because of a new Dragon Rider. King Orrin's soldiers were even more afraid than her men because they had not yet become used to the constant war. The brutality of seeing men being ripped apart by an Urgal, magic, dwarves, elves, and other men scared them. Saphira was also a terror to behold, clawing men in two or attacking them with her teeth or tail was simply nauseating. Not to mention when she burned an entire column of soldiers within seconds.

What can man do against such reckless evil? There were men who would kill you in a moment without a second though and then turn to the man next to them and smile. Some reveled in war and the prospect of cutting through a sea of enemies. They wanted either the glory or fame of old songs. Then there were also the men who simply loved violence and enjoyed seeing blood spout from a person's body. What are their options except to kill or be killed? War is not for the faint of hear; when blood flows through the streets like rivers flow over a bed or rocks can be a sickening sight.

But that was not what the Varden were fighting for, and they had to make sacrifices if they were ever going to overthrow Galbatorix. What they need to understand is that the king is taking away their freedoms and he had caused more pain in death than a five or ten year war could ever cause. Theirr freedom, money, lives, and food are in his hands and he can and does destroy their lives without a second thought.

Eragon realized this and was preparing to take up his sword and fight through a sea of raging enemies for the dream of freedom. The shadows in his mind and the fears of possibly not hearing Oromis' last words were temporarily held at bay in his enchanted sleep. Yet the fears and the worries return upon waking along with his responsibilities. He was ready to sacrifice himself at a moment's notice for what is right as well as to avenge his family. That was the cost of freedom, death, and Eragon was willing to pay that price.

He was in a dreamless sleep, but the dreams hovered on the edge of his conscious. They were just waiting for him to wake up so they could take hold of him once more. Eragon was gifted and showed promise, but he loved too easily as Galbatorix would say. That was what he would conside asr Eragon's weakness. The king would exploit his love for Arya or Roran and use that as a weapon against him. One of the reasons he was also fighting was so laws restricting magic could be put into place so another Galbatorix would not happen again. What scared him most was the fact that if he failed, all was lost. Yes, there was the chance of rescuing the other egg, but who except him could accomplish that task.

These were the dreams and fears of Eragon Shadeslayer. They were the worries that kept him awake and night and made fear and nerves writhe in his belly. Given just one more spark and he knew he would lose his temper. The stress was slowly wearing him down and the fuse was gradually growing shorter. If he lost his temper he would be killed and Saphira would be killed trying to avenge his death. One spark and his fuse would catch fire and slowly lead to the stick of dynamite that was his temper.

If he lost his temper just once thousands could be killed, not to mention the king and Murtagh. He could not use the anger, because of that risk. The havoc and chaos he could cause is astounding. Not to mention if Saphira lost her temper as well and gained the ability to use magic. He meditated daily to keep the anger and rage inside him to a minimum. Using the anger to take his revenge on the Ra'zac and he would not make that same mistake again.

Those were the shadows of Eragon's mind that night, and so they were almost every other night since Oromis' and Glaedr's deaths. It had dramatically changed his character and he knew after a thousand years or however long he lived he would never be the same. Within a year and a half his uncle, father, masters, as well as the whole of Carvahall had been either murdered or attacked because of Saphira. Yet he wouldn't have traded what he had with Saphira for all of that back. His life had been destroyed, but he had also been given the gift and power to shape the future of Alagäesia as well as his own life.


	2. Chapter 1: A Shared Loss

Chapter 1: A Shared Loss

When Eragon woke up the next morning he felt better than he had the last three days because of his dreamless sleep. He had told Saphira to enter his mind and wake him up when she felt that he needed to, and that's what she did. Since he was going to have to face his responsibilities today he performed the Rimgar up to level two, showered, shaved with magic, and decided to read Domia abr Wyrda. Eragon had not had time to read it since Jeod had given him the book.

Eragon's tent was a dull tan color and had only a small desk, a chair, his cot, and a basin of water to wash with. Saphira would normally stick her head in through the front flap when they went to sleep so she could be close to him. The book was sitting on the desk beside the scroll Oromis had given him of his ballad about his fight with Durza. There was also a couple of blank sheets of paper and a pen that he could write with if he needed to. He picked up the old book written by Heslant the Monk and opened

As he was reading, he realized the utter destruction that Du Fryn Skulblaka, the war between elves and dragons, had caused. Oromis and Brom had told him that it had wreaked destruction upon both races, but Eragon had never realized the full scope of it. Before the war, there had been roughly twice the number of elves and dragons that there was during the time of the Riders. His namesake had truly saved both the races from becoming extinct, and only now did Eragon realize just how easily there could have been no elves in Alagäesia. 

"Eragon, there is someone here to see you." Saphira told him.

"Who is it?" Eragon asked.

"Come see for yourself, Little One." She replied.

Eragon pushed aside the flap to the tent and was surprised to see Arya standing before him. "Arya, what are you doing here? I'm glad to see you, but you caught me by surprise." She looked just as beautiful as she always had, with her emerald eyes, beautifully sculpted face, and jet black hair. He loved the smell of pine needles that always followed her and he inhaled deeply.

"We are friends Eragon; it should be no surprise that I would like to see you on occasion." she joked. "I was hoping that we could discuss what happened at Feinster and the death of Oromis and Glaedr. You are my only friend besides my mother, and it always helps to talk about things that are so important."

"Arya is becoming more comfortable around me." Eragon realized. "That would be fine; would you like to come in? he asked.

"Yes, thank you for offering." Once they had taken their seats, Eragon on his cot and Arya on the lone chair, they began discussing what had happened. "Eragon, at Feinster when Blödhgarm and I were surrounded, you came to save us. Then when you, Saphira, and I were fighting Varaug in the keep, again you saved me when he had me in his clutches. I never got a chance to thank you properly because of the death of your masters. Thank you, Eragon, I don't know what I would have done if you had not been there for me."

Gratitude welled up inside Eragon. "Arya, there is nothing to thank me for, you have saved my life before and we are friends. If I had not tried to save you I would be ashamed to call myself a Rider. Even if it was somebody I hated I would have saved them because I am a Rider. Yes, I did save your life but you would have done the same thing for me." Eragon said. He could see that Arya was caught off guard by his response.

"Eragon has grown much since when he first rescued me from Durza. He has become much wiser." Arya said, "You have grown since we first met Eragon, back then you were not as wise as you are now. It seems that we have to rescue each other frequently since I met you, but recently it has been me who needed rescuing." She smiled at him and heard Eragon's heart start beating faster. "I still thank you, it would feel wrong if I never thanked the person who saved me."

"Well, if you insist then I accept your thanks, you are most welcome." Eragon said. "Now, what did you want to tell me about the deaths of Oromis and Glaedr, Arya?"

Arya took a deep breath and tried to calm her thoughts, but the grief was overwhelming. "Oromis was like a father to me after Evandar died, and Glaedr was always kind to me as well. They were the only people besides Faölin that comforted me after my father's death. My mother was too overcome with her own grief to ease mine. Now that they are gone I feel like I have nobody left to talk to, and who can give me advice when I need it."

"Arya, listen to me, I will always be here for you whether you need a friend or a Dragon Rider. Oromis was like a father to me as well, I loved him like I loved Garrow and Brom. When I saw him die it was just as painful as watching Brom take the knife that was meant for me, or Garrow with all the burns covered across his body. Now that he's dead there is only my cousin and you that I can truly confide in, Arya." Eragon responded.

She smiled her stunning smile at him. "Thank you, Eragon. I know you have suffered much since you met Saphira. Since you have decided to confide in me then I know that it was the right choice to come to you today." Arya walked over to Eragon's cot and started crying, rivers of tears flooding from her eyes. "It's just that…h-he was such a great man Eragon. With him not here anymore it feels like there is something profoundly wrong with the world." she confessed.

Eragon wrapped his arms around her and let her cry into his chest. "I know, Arya. It feels like there is something wrong with the world because there is. If things were as they should be then the Riders would still be in power and I would have grown up knowing my father. But you and I of all people should know that life is hardly fair."

They sat together for a long time and Eragon's own tears joined Arya's as they let out all their grief and pain they had endured. After about an hour the tears stopped because they couldn't cry anymore. There was not enough water left in them to continue. Both of them felt like the weight of grief upon them had lessened enough for them to keep fighting against the Empire.

Eragon let go of Arya and they both stood up. He saw that Arya's eyes were red from crying and she saw the same red around his eyes. "Thank you." both of them said at the same time.  
>"Are we ready to keep fighting the Empire Arya?" he asked her.<p>

"I think we are, Eragon. I suspect that Nasuada would like to speak with both of us now very much. Would you like to accompany me to her tent?" she asked in return.

"I would be honored to."


	3. Chapter 2: Ambush

Chapter 2: Ambush

Eragon and Arya announced themselves to the Nighthawks on duty and were admitted into Nasuada's red tent. The tent looked much the same as ever with the desk and Nasuada's chair. Since defeating Feinster she had been given an extra table and four more chairs. "Good to see you Eragon, Arya. Have you recovered from the battle yet?" she asked him. White bandages still covered Nasuada's forearms, but from the sound of her voice and her posture she appeared to be improving.

"Good to see you as well Nasuada. I am ready for whatever mission you wish to assign me. Saphira should be returning from hunting in an hour or two, and then I could be ready to leave." Eragon said.

"Excellent. Arya, are you recovered as well?" she asked.

"I am Nasuada." Arya replied.

"Very good, right now we are under no immediate threat from the Empire, but Belatona is going to be difficult to capture when we arrive there. The best thing you could do right now is to help us stop them from moving their supplies. Since we have taken Feinster they will be trying to get as many troops as they can to stop us at Belatona. I am sending Roran to disrupt supply trains as well, so if you could help them in any way you can it would be appreciated. I doubt Thorn and Murtagh will bother us for at least a couple of days."

"Understood milady. When is Roran leaving?" he asked.

"He and his warriors left earlier this morning. They are going to attack a supply train that is coming from Urû'baen. I gave him five hundred warriors under his command; about two hundred of them are urgals. If our calculations are correct they should have about eight hundred soldiers guarding the trains. With your help it should be a fairly even match, but remember that they could be soldiers without pain so be cautious."

"I will. Do you know how long it will be before King Orik and the dwarves join the Varden?" Eragon questioned.

"They should be joining us in about two weeks. According to him the whole of Tronjheim and some of the surrounding dwarf cities are already emptied except for the women and children."

"Good, we will need them when we attack Belatona." he said.

"You are dismissed Eragon. Arya, you can go with him as well if you wish to." Nasuada said.

"I will accompany him." Arya said. Then she left the tent with Eragon and she left to go gather her things from her tent.

Eragon decided to contact Saphira on his way to his own tent and said,_ "Saphira, hurry back from hunting. We are accompanying Roran on his mission to take out a supply train heading for Belatona. Arya is coming with us as well. I will get my things ready and be waiting for you when you get back."__  
><em>  
><em>I'm on my way.<em> she told him.

When Eragon had packed enough food for the journey and oiled his armor he went outside to wait for Saphira to return. He decided to meditate as he waited for Saphira to get there. As soon as he opened his mind up to his surroundings he sensed Angela and Solembum approaching. Right on time as always, just before something important is going to happen, like me leaving to attack the Empire. "Hello Angela, Solembum. What brings you here this fine morning?" he asked the witch and the werecat.  
><em>You should know, Dragon Rider, you are about to attack the Empire. Where else would we be besides here?<em> Solembum said to him.

"Eragon, we have some information for you about the hermit Tenga you ran into when you were alone in the Empire. As you may have noticed he collects scrolls on anything and everything and has an enormous amount of knowledge in his grasp. He was my mentor and he is a very dangerous and unpredictable person. However, if anybody knows how to find the Rock of Kuthian and what the Vault of Souls is, it would be him. Just remember that he is older than me and may not give you a straight answer, be patient with him." Angela told him.

"Thank you for the info Angela…I appreciate it. How is Elva doing?" he asked.

As soon as he mentioned Elva the witch's face instantly hardened into an unreadable mask. "That insolent little girl is still insisting on doing whatever pleases her. She is using her power to control people to get whatever she wants, but worst of all is the fact of how powerful she is becoming. In terms of magic she is probably as powerful as you were when you first came to Farthen Dûr. That alone wouldn't be too big of a problem if she also didn't know everybody's weaknesses. I am trying to drill some emotion and compassion into her but she is proving to be a difficult prospect." Angela announced. By the end of her speech Angela was practically scowling.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you by trying to reverse my spell. If I knew that this would happen I would have never given her the option to choose for herself." Eragon apologized.

Angela could see the regret on his face and said, "It is not your fault, you did the right thing Eragon. The quandary we face is trying to get her to do the right thing. If you hadn't tried to reverse what you did to that poor girl you would have been doing something evil Eragon. Ah, I think somebody is here to see you. Happy hunting." And with those words the strange witch departed.

He looked up to find Arya approaching with her pack, bow, and sword with her. She was in her usual leather traveling gear that she favored over dresses. "Hello, Eragon. What did Angela have to talk to you about?" she asked him.

"Oh… ummm, nothing too important. Just complaining to me about how hard Elva is proving to teach. Apparently Elva still insists on doing whatever she wants and is now roughly as powerful as I was when I first came to Farthen Dûr." Eragon told her. He didn't want her to know about Tenga and the information she told him about the hermit. That was for him and Saphira only.

"Yes, Elva did seem to be a big problem the last time we met her. Do you know how long it will be until Saphira gets here?" Arya asked him.

He paused to communicate mentally with his dragon. "Saphira says she is about a half hour away." Eragon replied.

"Good, that will give us some time to spar." Arya announced. She put her pack and bow down on the ground and drew her sword. "If you are up to the challenge that is?"

"Always." He drew Brisingr from its sheath. "Are you sure you want to do this? I am much stronger than I was the last time we battled.

"I was always one for challenges."

Just as they were about to engage he heard the words in his head, _Help me Shadeslayer! Help me Brightscales! _That's Roran, what's going on normally I'm the one to get into trouble. _Saphira, did you hear that?__  
><em>  
><em>Yes, it appears your cousin needs our help.<em>_  
><em>  
><em>Roran, what is going on? You can't have reached the Empire's supply train already.<em> Eragon asked his cousin. It could end up being too late before he got there. They were a good chunk of distance away from him.

_We were marching when we were attacked.. The problem is they aren't normal. These beasts just won't die! Everything was fine; we had just reached the top of a ridge when soldiers appeared out of thin air. There are only about two hundred of them, but these blasted soldiers are faster than normal humans. They also have about four magicians with them who are stronger than the ones I have. One hundred of my men have already been killed and we've only been fighting them for about twenty minutes._ Roran told him. 

_Hang on; Saphira, Arya, and I are on our way. Stay close together and use the height to your advantage. I will get there as soon as I can._ Eragon said firmly and ended the connection with his cousin.

What's happening Eragon? Arya asked him, alarmed by the expression on his face.

"Roran's in trouble, come on we need to run to meet Saphira." Without a backwards glance he sheathed his Brisingr and picked shouldered his pack.

Arya and Eragon took off at a sprint running north. I can't let Roran die on me. He's about to have a kid for goodness sake. Soon they were nothing more than a smudge on the horizon to the Varden camp.


	4. Chapter 3: the Consequences of Failure

Chapter 3: The Consequences of Failure

Murtagh gasped as another wave of overwhelming, mind-numbing pain coursed through his body. When he and Thorn had returned to Urû'baen after Gil'ead Galbatorix had shown that how much he disliked having had to demonstrate his power and intervene on their to save them. While he was being tortured by the king, Shruikan was torturing Thorn at the same time, because of this they had cut off the link between them to stop the pain relaying between them. Despite this, some of the pain still got through.

Before this the most pain he had felt was when his back had been laid open by his father, Morzan, and when Galbatorix had tortured him for letting Eragon escape after the battle of the Burning Plains. Both of those experiences paled in comparison to the amount of pain he was enduring now. It was one of the torture methods Galbatorix had learned from Durza, but the king had made it even more painful than the shade had. The rider was surprised that he was able to maintain consciousness throughout the torture.

The king's torture consisted of hanging Murtagh from two iron manacles set in the stone wall that left him dangling in midair. There were also ropes attached to his feet to pull him toward the ground so that he was constantly in pain from the manacles and made it slightly more difficult to breathe. Then the king had made incisions in Murtagh's skin that were thin and long, but shallow. After that Galbatorix poured the dangerous form of the seithr oil onto the cuts and they burned and ate away the flesh. Compounded onto those discomforts the king had begun whipping him with a whip that was coated with seithr oil. Every time the mad king swung more seithr oil was put onto his back that was already cut, and inflicted more pain with the flogging.

Galbatorix wore a simple red tunic stitched with the golden flame, the empire's insignia. The king's pants were made of regular brown leather, and he wore black leather boots. Around his waist was belted a black leather belt with a black scabbard attached to it. Out of the scabbard thrust a golden pommel with a black gem stuck into its center, it was made of onyx. Murtagh had trained with the king a couple of times before and seen the black blade of the sword as well. It shimmered from grey to black and back again when he swung it. Even through Murtagh was an exemplary human swordsman he didn't even pose a threat to the ancient king.

The most surprising aspect of the king's image was his eyes and face. His eyes were a dark grey color, almost black, with black eyebrows above them. Like Brom, Galbatorix's face had acquired a slightly hawk-like appearance over time. Unlike Brom, however, was the fact that his face was not kind; instead it was cold, hard, calculating, and frightening above all else. There was no hint of kindness in his face, bearing, or those cold grey eyes that appeared to be able to see into your mind. Galbatorix had black hair that was close cut, and revealed the tips of his slightly pointed ears. He only had a small black goatee, everything else was smooth.

An evil grin spread across his face as he whipped Murtagh mercilessly. "Had enough yet, Murtagh?" he asked, laughing. The laugh echoed around the almost bare dungeon, bouncing off the walls and slowly fading away; it was haunting and anybody could tell that he didn't laugh because he found something funny.  
>"Not even close! I would sooner submit to a woman than give you the pleasure of watching me beg you to stop!" Murtagh practically yelled at him. He spat in the king's direction, but instead of saliva only blood came out.<p>

"If I were you I would be sensible enough to not talk back to somebody who has complete control over them, boy!" Galbatorix yelled back at him. "I have been taking it easy on you, but no longer. Since you continue to defy me, I am going to bring out my true torture instrument." The king turned his back on the young rider and left the dungeon.

_Thorn, are you alright? Even though we had cut off our connection I could sense some of the pain you were going through._ Murtagh said after he reopened the connection between them."

_I am surviving just like you are, Little One. A dragon can undergo much more suffering than a human, elf, or dwarf can before having to give in._ Thorn replied. _It is you I worry about, you can't survive this much longer if the torture you just went through was only the beginning of a worse form of torture._

_I would die before I give into him Thorn, you know that. As long as he doesn't invoke my true name I will continue to defy him._ Murtagh heard footsteps approaching the dungeon._ I have to go. Galbatorix is back with the next method of torture. I love you, Thorn; stay strong.___

_And I love you, Murtagh._

He was alone again, and the weight of his problems came crashing back down on him. If Eragon is right, and I can change my true name then Thorn and I need to devote all of our attention to changing our name so we can escape, Murtagh thought to himself. When Galbatorix reentered his vision he was holding a kind of whip, but instead of one there were five sections of it. Each of the five sections had what looked like small metal tips sewn into the whip. They looked like a row of teeth waiting to saw through his flesh.

"This is one of my own inventions; Durza came up with the idea of more than one whip. But it was me who thought of lining the whips with small metal tips that would saw through your flesh when it strikes and is pulled away. Quite ingenious, I must admit. It is one of my better ideas I've had over the years. You are the first real person I get to try it on, it worked quite well on the manikins I made." The king smiled that dangerous smile of his.

Murtagh was listening in stunned silence, what monster could have thought up this device? he asked himself. The torture he had just endured looked like nothing compared to what he was about to endure. Galbatorix pulled back his arm and swung it forward faster than any human could have and it dug into his back. Where the lines of whip hit they stuck to the skin, then as he pulled it back it cut away more skin and carried chunks along with it. Thorn was right, even Murtagh would not be able to endure this kind of torture indefinitely.

Galbatorix saw the effect the weapon had on his victim and knew that he had indeed created a much more effective method of torture than what Durza had used on Arya. "Just you wait until I coat this in seithr oil, then you will know what pain truly feels like." The king laughed again, and the sound of the king's laughter made Murtagh and servants who heard it run away in mortal fear of the king they served. Hardly any of them had heard the king enjoy himself so much before, and it terrified everybody, including some of the most powerful magicians and warriors the humans had to offer.

Tell me what you like and don't like please. I worked hard on this chapter and I think I am going to enjoy writing from Murtagh's point of view the most of anybody. Unless if I maybe do an Angela point of view chapter, that would be very interesting.


	5. Chapter 4: Hilltop Stand

Chapter 4: Hilltop Stand

Roran understood that Eragon, Arya, and Saphira were coming to help but until they arrived he was in serious trouble. He had roughly 300 soldiers under his command. He also had some magicians with him. They only had 200 people total. However, the Empire's soldiers were faster than normal humans and it appeared they had more magicians with them because the Varden's arrows did not reach their targets. The circle surrounding them was thin, but they were spread out over a large area. It looked like a thin river of red surrounding the gray of the Varden. Carn and the other spellcasters were doing their best, but they were up against powerful magicians trained by Galbatorix. When Roran had seen the soldiers appear out of thin air he knew he was in trouble and contacted his cousin immediately. However, he had about an hour before they would be given some help, and it was his job to keep his men alive until then.

"All right men! Help is on the way in the form of my cousin, but we have to stay alive until he gets here. Shields up to block their arrows and everybody move into a tightly packed circle!" Roran yelled. The soldiers hurried to obey, and were soon closely packed into a circle with their shields raised. "Second row of soldiers from the outside put your shields above your head!" he yelled as he saw a volley of black arrows whizzing towards them from all directions at once. Just as the soldiers got their shields above them arrows bounced off of them; it sounded like hailstones striking the shields instead of arrows.

Thankfully only a handful of soldiers were killed by the volley, and they died because they were too slow in obeying his commands. "Keep this formation, but move the archers into the middle! Our archers can shoot out over us while we hold our shields up to protect them." Roran ordered. All of the archers, roughly one hundred or so gathered in the middle of their defensive circle. Knocking their arrows, they aimed in all different directions and loosed a volley. The empire's soldiers had been caught off guard by the unexpected attack and yells were heard from Galbatorix' men.

"Excellent work, keep it up." he said to the archers. _Carn, just exactly how powerful are the magicians you and your fellow magicians are facing? You said they were strong, but do you stand any chance at all? _Roran asked his most trusted friend among the Varden. In this matter he knew that they were outmatched. He would have to trust Carn to do what needed to be done, which was hard because these men were trusted to be kept alive by him. They were his responsibility and nobody else's.

_ If I can find a way to circumvent their wards we might stand a chance. Until then they are just going to keep breaking into our minds and killing us one at a time. They are powerful enough to pose a threat to your cousin if he attacked them alone, Roran. We already lost one of our spellcasters and will probably lose more within the next couple of minutes. _  
>Roran mulled over the fact that they could pose a threat to his cousin; whom he had seen heal a shoulder he thought would plague him for the rest of his life. He had to think of a way to take out the magicians if they stood a chance of surviving until Eragon got there. Then he figured out a way to survive, if he could get a couple of people around their flank and behind them then just maybe we could take them out with some well-placed arrows.<p>

_ Carn, send two of your best magicians with a group of thirty soldiers and archers. See if you can locate where the enemy magicians are with your mind and enchant the arrows to get through their wards. Our only hope of survival is killing those spellcasters. Hurry!_Roran thought as he knew since he had unblocked his mind the magician would hear his thoughts.

_ Yes, sir, understood. You can count on me!_Carn thought. Roran smiled, Carn had yet to let him down. He was one of the only people he trusted completely to get the job done. Then another idea to help their magic users to kill the magicians struck him. "All right men, our magicians need a diversion so they can kill the empire's magic users. Charge!" he yelled. Immediately the archers put their bows in their quiver, drew their swords, and screamed the battle cry with him.

His ploy worked, when they had started charging to the north the two magicians as well as the soldiers and archers were able to escape to the south without being bothered by arrows. All of their archers were focused on the main heading north to crush them. As they reached the northern part of the empire's circle around them the sound of metal striking metal reverberated around the hill. Probably around 30 of his men had been killed covering the ground to reach their enemy, but if that meant the opposing spellcasters were taken out then it would be well worth it.

Even though the Varden had more men it was an even fight because of the empire's soldiers had enhanced speed. _Carn, are your magicians almost ready to attempt what I ordered? The fighting is even at the moment but as soon as they get room to move and use their speed we are toast._

_ Yes sir, they are getting into position now. If they are taken out we should be able to help you out by warding you and your men._

Matthias, one of the magicians sent to try and take out the opposing magicians, scanned the minds around him. He soon located them in a group on the south side of the hilltop and informed the other magician Steven of his findings. The two magicians and the soldiers/archers approached them cautiously. When they were within bow range he ordered the soldiers to charge and the archers to let loose their arrows.

It worked perfectly; just as the soldiers crashed into the guard around the magicians the arrows enchanted with a white fire penetrated the opposing magic users' wards and killed them all instantly. They had been too slow to work their own magic to stop the arrows. When the soldiers attacked the guard they had been focused on trying to take them out and didn't notice the arrows until too late. Matthias and Steven were both thoroughly exhausted and used the last of their strength to contact Carn and inform him that the enemy magicians were all dead. Then both of them fell to the ground and lost consciousness as the soldiers and archers continued fighting around them.

When Carn told him that his plan had been successful and the opposing magicians lay dead, he began to see the first glimmer of hope that he could get out of this ambush alive. "The enemy magicians are dead!" Stronghammer yelled at the top of his lungs. The Varden let out a battle cry and surged forward with renewed vigor against the soldiers around them. Roran dove back into the battle, but he chose to stay out of the most intense part of the battle. His job was leading his men, and he couldn't fight them all himself. He knew that if he died they would be in trouble.

Without the king's personally trained magicians protecting them even more of the soldiers started dying and putting up less and less of a fight. Just as they had practically annihilated the northern section of the circle that had surrounded them the rest of the empire's blasted soldiers engaged them in combat. They turned around just in time to engage the soldiers and Roran was again in the middle of the fighting.

That was when he heard a voice in his head say, _Roran, we will be there in a about five minutes. Stay alive, and soon you'll have reinforcements._ "Shadeslayers Arya and Eragon, as well as Saphira Brightscales are almost here! Keep fighting!" he roared. Even with their unnatural speed the empire's soldiers could not easily defeat Roran and his soldiers. More and more bodies piled on top of the hill, more Varden than Empire were dying. The battle was still pretty even, now they both numbered around 150 men.

Saphira roared and descended, letting loose a whitish blue jet of flame that burned a battalion of soldiers to a crisp. The cousin of the last free Dragon Rider was saved. Soldiers quailed before Saphira, Eragon, and Arya as they used magic and their blades to completely destroy them. Without their magicians protecting them they were easy pickings for a dragon rider, his dragon, and a powerful elfin magician. After roughly another half hour of fighting all of the empire's ambush party had been killed. It would have been quicker but Eragon disliked using any of the death words and decided to not use them.

"Roran, how in the world of Alagäesia did you manage to get out of this one? Because of their enhanced speed you were essentially fighting elves, and yet you still managed to survive. You led your men well today. Nasuada did the right thing by giving you your own troops. If you weren't from Carvahall I would say it was a miracle. However, you are my cousin and from Carvahall as well. Good work!" he exclaimed and hugged cousin who was like a brother to him.

"We couldn't have done it without your help Eragon. Don't go telling Nasuada that I did all of the work." He smiled and hugged his brother back, cutting off his breathing.

"C-c-can't b-b-breathe." he gasped.

"Sorry! Got carried away a little bit." he said after he let go of his cousin. "Thanks for the help, ready to go back and tell Nasuada what happened and why I can't carry out my orders?" he asked Eragon.

"Yes, I sure am. Let's get a move on, Roran. You did the right thing by calling Saphira and I for help. I don't know what I would have done if you had died too. You are my only family left aside from Saphira."

"Don't forget about Katrina, she's your family now too. I appreciate the help. Guess I better go organize my troops. Take care of yourself, cousin. Then he turned around and started bellowing orders. _I'm glad Eragon gave Katrina and me those rings; I would have been killed without his help. My baby would have grown up without a father, he realized._

Soon he was marching back to the Varden with another odds-defying victory added to his accomplishments. He had already hunted down Ra'zac, crossed the boar's eye, both of which were considered impossible. Roran Stronghammer was truly a military genius and untouchable in battle. Even though he had battled for over an hour, only a handful of his wounds were serious enough to require healing. Yet the carnage bothered Roran, _I am a farmer not a warrior. I look forward to the day I can settle down and raise my family along with crops. That could be a long time away though. _Roran knew it could be years before this war was over. But then again it could easily be less time. Most of that depended on his cousin. And whether or not he was strong enough to take out Galbatorix.


End file.
